Scientists at the Institute for Systems Biology and CalTech are working on a chip that would eventually be capable of using one drop of blood to identify more than two thousand proteins that act as ?biomarkers? for specified diseases.

- A chip is prepared with rows of antibodies that attract those biomarker proteins.

- When blood is dropped on the chip, any biomarkers present attach themselves to their respective antibody. The chip sends a signal identifying the protein?s presence.